Apple & Cheese Beer Soup with Soft Pretzel Bites

As the weather gradually turns colder, we thought it would be the perfect time for a hearty and warming soup recipe! This recipe has so many different flavors and features lots of seasonal items we have at the Co-op right now. For the beer, we chose the Left Hand Pumpkin Latte Nitro Ale, but any pumpkin beer would work well with this. We also decided to feature a brand new product, the Eastern Standard frozen pretzel bites, to pair with this recipe! These pretzel bites are amazing and come with 3 different salts for you to try. They are perfect for eating on the side or dipping straight into the soup. 

Ingredients
Butter
3 tablespoons
Olive oil
2 tablespoons
Yellow onion, diced
1
Fresh thyme, minced
2 tablespoons
Fresh sage, minced
1 tablespoon
All-purpose flour
1/4 cup
2% milk
2 cups
Vegetable broth
2 cups
Left Hand Pumpkin Latte Nitro Ale
12 ounces
Apple cider
1/2 cup
Apple, chopped
1
Cheddar cheese
3 cups
Creamy brie cheese
4 ounces
Eastern Standard pretzel bites
1 package

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Servings: 6

Calories per serving: 740 (including pretzels)

 

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 
  2.  In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter and olive oil. Add the onion, thyme, and sage, and cook for 5 minutes. 
  3. Add the flour and whisk constantly for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk and stir until smooth.
  4. Add the vegetable broth, pumpkin beer, apple cider, apple, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium, and cook uncovered for 10 minutes. 
  5. Remove from stove.
  6. At this point, prepare the pretzel bites. Spray with cooking spray, then add the cheese salt and the pretzel salt. Bake in the oven for 6 minutes.
  7. Puree the soup with an immersion blender, or in batches using a regular blender or food processor.
  8. Return to the stove and set over low heat. Stir in the cheddar cheese and the brie and stir until melted. The brie may not melt completely - this is okay and will taste delicious when dipping the pretzel bites!
  9. Ladle into bowls and top with thyme and cheddar cheese to garnish, if desired. Serve with the pretzel bites.